Adjustable ring sight



33-25 l n OR l 9686 9163 5R Oct. 2, 1928. 1,686,163

W.` G. MCNEILL ADJUSTABLE RING SIGHT Filed Aug- 4, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 Gaggtfisrsicm. nasraumenrs.

Patented Oct. I2, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.ADJUSTABLE RING- SIGHT.

Application filed August 4, 1922. Serial No. 579,631.

This invention relates to machine gun sights for guns to be mounted on moving objects.

Heretofore, machine gun ring sights, constructed with a view to compensate for an enemy speed, have been useful for only one enemy speed, that is, one sight was constructed for a one-hundred mile speed, another for a hundred and twenty-mile speed, and so on. This necessitated carrying a number of sights of different magnitude, and a gunner was obliged to remove the sight on the gun and replace it with one of commensurate magnitude for a change in enemy speed. This involved delay with well-known results. Besides possible loss, of the sight if carried on a plane, a gunner in a plane in changing the sights also lost trace of the enemy plane with ofttimes serious consequences.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a sight capable of quick and accurate adjustment to compensate for any reasonable enemy speed.

It is also an object to design an adjustment ring sight of a minimum number of parts, self-contained and having flexibility, speed and ease of operation.

It is a further object to so construct the ring sight that the large sighting ring is at all adjustments concentric with the small sighting ring. In this respect cam, gear and rack means are provided to maintain concentricity.

It is a further object to so design the means for maintaining concentricity of the lrings that such means will also operate to increase and decrease the diameter of the large ring for dierent speeds.

Further objects will become more apparent as the description of the specific embodiment of our invention proceeds, from the claims and from the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the use of a ring sight mounted on a gun for use against moving targets.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the improved adjustable sight.

Figure 3 is a side elevational View of the same.

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the same.

Figure 5 is a rear elevation partly in section taken on the line V-V of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary top View of the device partly in section taken approximately on the line VI-VI of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of the anchoring means for the adjustable ring.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal section thereof showing the roller guides.

Figure 9 is a view of the cam aligning means partly in section and;

Figure 10 is a bottom view of the left hand end thereof.

Referring more particularly to the details of the various figures of the drawing in which the same reference characters are applied to corresponding parts throughout, 2 designates the standard which has a positioning groove 4 adapting the sight to a fixed base upon the gun.

A support 6 projects upwardly and to the rear from the standard 2 and may project upwardly and forwardly at a proper point to the rear of the ring to support the small ring 8 which has projecting therebeyond the guide 10 forming a bearing surface for the adjustable ring to slide up and down upon. The projecting guide 10 may be riveted over or have any form of head 12 formed upon it in order to provide a stop. Mounted slidingly in the standard 2 is a rod 14 integral with a supporting carriage 16 which is also guided in its vertical movement by a roller 18 working in slot 20 in the support 6. Attached to the projection 6 and projecting from one side thereof is a rack 22 which engages with the pinion 24 attached as a spur gear to gear 26 on an approximately mounted shaft. Mounted on the vertically movable carriage 16 are horizontal movable supports 28 and 30 forming transversely movable carriages and are guided on transverse movement by a dovetailed guide 32 operating in a corresponding depression in the vertically movable carriage 16. The supports 28 and 30 are interiorly screw-threaded as at 34 adapting them to receive respectively left and right-handed screws 36 and 38 formed on a single shaft with a pinion gear 40 therebetween, secured from transverse movement by the collar 42 operating in a groove 44 formed at one end of the threaded shaft and are operable through the thumb screw 46, secured therewith. It will be seen that upon turning the thumb screw 46 in a clockwise direction as viewed from the right of Figure 2, the supporting guides 28 and 8O will be moved toward each other and the pinion 40 working through the gears 26, 24 and rack 22 will move the vertical carriage 16 downwardly for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Mounted in standards 28 and 80 are flanged rollers 48, as best shown in Figure 8, on supporting axles 50 formed on a portion of the ring anchors 52 and operating in grooves 54 formed in the supports 28, 30. The sighting ring 56 is formed oi' spring steel, has an opening in the top thereof suiiciently large to slidably lit the guide bearing 10, is formed into ring shape and passes through a slot 58 in the top half of an anchor 52 on one side. A pin guidel 60 is supported from lugs on opposite sides of the carriage 16 and passes into the top slot of the opposite anchor 52 where its end is secured as shown at 62 in a slot 64 (Fig. 7 It will be understood of course, that the opposite end of the ring is guided and anchored in the bottom slots of alternate anchoring means, respectively. As shown in Figures 7 and 8 the anchoring means 52 proper is composed of a plurality of segments, an arcuate segment having an undercut groove in the interior half thereoian opposite segment having a corresponding undercut groove and a slot 64 and a central segment having oppositely undersut sides to form with the undercut sides of the arcuate segment, slots 58, is flanged as at 66 to secure the arcuate segments against end-wise movement and is provided at the ends with hubs 50 previously described. The three segments ot' the anchoring means may be held together by suitable securing means such as screws, as shown.

In order to guide the ring 56 in a substantial circle, while increasing or decreasing its diameter, it has been found necessary to provide a cam guide designated generally 68 which comprises wings 70, 72, hinged at 74, 76, respectively, for a purpose to be described, and having central section 78 having a projection 8O to cooperate with the pin 60 to guide the ring therebetween. The section 78 is positioned between fore and aft lugs 82, 84, by any suitable means and the wings 70, 72 are adapted to rest on horizontal guide portions 86, 88, of the transverse carriage, as shown in Figures 3 and 6, to be guided thereby. It will be apparent that upon turning the thumb screw 46 in a clockwise direction, as before referred to, that as the transversing guides 28 and 30 approach each other the guides 86, 88 which are integral parts thereof will also approach each other and as they ride over the hinge point of the wings 70, 72, the wings being loosely hinged, will depress, permitting the spring ring to attain a true circle in its expanded position. When decrease decreasing the size of the ring the thumb screw is turned in a counter-cloclrwise direction and the guides 86, 88, riding over the bevelled arms 90, 92, of the wings will raise the wings gradually to their normal position and at all times (due to proper proportioning O the relative lift of the wings to the change in diameter of the ring) will maintain the ring in substantially true circular shape.

The sight as herein embodied, is adapted for slow enemy speed at its smallest diameter and for high enemy speed at its greatest diameter and the corresponding graduations will be marked on the vertical carriage as shown at 100. To increase the diameter of the sighting ring 56, the thumb screw 46 is turned in a clockwise direction and in the opposite or counter-clockwise direction to its diameter. The carriage 16 accordingly moves downwardly or upwardly as occasioned by the gears and rack to maintain concentricity of sighting ring 56 and ring 8 at all positions.

l/Vhat we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a gun sight of the class described, a support, a stationary sight on said support, a thin sighting ring mounted on said support in concentric relation with said fixed sight, and means for concentrically varying the diameter of said sighting ring to compensate or varying speeds of an object sighted.

2. In a sighting device, in combination, a support, a thin flexible band carried by said support in the form of a ring, and means for varying the diameter of said ring to compensate or varying speeds of an object sighted.

8. In a sighting device, in combination, a. support, a thin iexible sighting ring mounted on said support, a iixed sighting member concentric with said sighting ring, and means for concentrically varying the diameter of said sighting ring.

4. In a gun sight of the class described, in combination, a support, a sighting ring of iXed diameter mounted on said support, a sighting ring of variable diameter concentric therewith mounted on said support, means for varying the diameter of said ring, and guide means for maintaining said ring substantially circular at all positions.

5. In a sighting device of the class described, in combination, a support, a sighting ring mounted on said support, a fixed sight mounted concentric with said ring, means for varying the diameter of said sighting ring to compensate for varying speeds of movements of an object sighted, and mechanism for vertically moving said means for maintaining said movable ring concentric at all times with said fixed sight.

6. In a gun sight of the class described, in

343. SOMET WLS/ML lNSTRLilViEN combination a support, a small fixed si ht on said support, a thin band forming a sig ting ring on said support in concentric relation with said fixed sight, members attached to respective ends of said band, means for moving said members towards and from each other, to vary the diameter of said ring, to compensate for varying speeds, and a device operated by said last means to maintain said ring and said iixed sight concentric at all times.

7. In a gun sight of the class described, in combination, a support, a fixed sight on said support, a strip of resilient material forming a ring concentric with said fixed sight, a member connected to each end of said strip, means for moving said members towards and from each other comprising a threaded rod engaging said members, a carriage supporting said members and movably mounted on v said support, a gear on said rod, means engaglng said gear to vertically move sald carriage and rod for maintaining said rings concentric at all times.

8. A gun ring sight comprising a support, a strip of metal bent to form a ring mounted upon said support, a member connected directly to each end of the said strip and means connected directly to said members for moving them relatively to vary the diameter of said ring, said means including a threaded rod. Y

9. A gun ring sight, comprising a support, a strip of metal flexed to form a ring mounted upon said support, means for varying the diameter of said ring, said ring having uniform flexibility at all points along the circumference so as to maintain a true circle as the diameter changes.

In testimony whereof we aIiX our signatures.

WALTER G. MGNEILL. ROBERT KAUCH. 

